Anna

Lessons from 3 Biblical women on How to Abide in God

Lessons from 3 Biblical women on How to Abide in God

Last week, while talking about what The Woman with the Issue of Blood teaches us about how to live by faith, I mentioned that one of the things that she demonstrates about living a life of faith is that it requires steadfastness. I mean the fact that she waited 12 years to be healed and never gave up hope says it all, right?

Right!

I then went on to say that this whole concept of remaining steadfast reminded me of John 15:7, a scripture that I had literally been studying obsessively recently, which says:

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you"

But- because I had other points to get through- I couldn't break this scripture all the way down the way I wanted to; so I promised to do it later.

Well, lovely, this week I did!

And not only did I talk about 3 different strategies regarding how to abide in God, I also talked about not 1; not 2 but 3 different female Biblical examples of this. Namely:

  1. The Woman with the Issue of Blood

  2. Sarah 

  3. Anna

All of which I shared on my Facebook page this week via the (live) video below.

Lessons from Anna on Being a House of Prayer

Lessons from Anna on Being a House of Prayer

We first hear of Anna in Luke 2 which details, amongst other things, Jesus':

  • Birth
  • Circumcision
  • Presentation at the temple in Jerusalem.

It is during Jesus and His parents' stint in Jerusalem that Anna makes her debut in Luke 2:36-38, which says:

"Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem".

When I read that scripture it reminds me of Matthew 21 which tells of Jesus' triumphant return to Jerusalem many years later, as a grown man. The part of this passage that I am particularly put in mind of is Matthew 21:12-13:-

"Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

Whilst these scriptures speak of contrasting moments in Jesus' life (the beginning of His life and the end of His life respectively), there are some common themes that I would like to explore. Namely, what it means to be a "house of prayer".

An Interview with Eunice Osaro on Anna

An Interview with Eunice Osaro on Anna

Today's interview comes from Eunice Osaro- an administrator within the NHS (British healthcare system), mother of one and aspiring counsellor. She also happens to be a very close and personal friend of mine, who I love dearly. Read on as she discusses Anna (her favourite woman of the Bible), how she ties in with her testimony and what we, as modern women of God, can learn from her:

An Interview with Sofia on Anna

An Interview with Sofia on Anna

Today's interview comes from Sofia who writes at Little Miss Pilgrim, a blog that aims to:

  • Encourage Christians, specifically women, to pursue godliness and live their lives under the authority of God’s Word
  • Become a channel for women to share their thoughts, struggles, victories, to encourage other women in their Christian lives
  • Teach Biblical principles and remind women of their role in the Body of Christ
  • Bring honor to the name of Christ our Lord and Savior

Read on as she discusses the Prophetess Anna (her favourite woman of the Bible), how Anna ties in with her personal testimony and what we, as modern women, can learn from her: